country about Honoragas. He attacked haciendas, stealing and
burning, even maltreating the helpless women and children after
killing their defenders.

After robbing the churches, he took all the wealth he had gathered
and, with the Mexican Federal troops on his trail, ran up into the
United States. How he came to grief there and had to run again with
United States troops and the Rose Ranch cowboys behind him, Rhoda
had already told her friends.

But that Lobarto had left all the wealth he had stolen somewhere
near Rose Ranch, the Mexicans knew as well as the Americans. When
captured, members of Lobarto's gang had confessed. But they had
been put to death by the Mexican authorities without telling just
where the great cache of plunder was.

Juanita and her mother believed that the American owner of Rose
Ranch had recovered the treasure and held their share from them.
These Mexican people were both ignorant and suspicious. Juanita was
very bitter against the _Americanos_, anyway. She had only come up
into the States to work so as to support her mother, who remained
still on the ruined plantation in Honoragas.

"I went to dhe Ranchio Rose," said Juanita, "and see thees senorita
wit' her fader, dhe gre't Senyor Ham-mon'. He laugh at me--yes! He
tell me he haf not found dhe tr-r-reasure. But I know better--"

"You do not know anything of the kind," Nan said promptly. "You
just have a bad temper and want to hate somebody. Rhoda tells you
that she knows nothing about the money and jewels your mother lost.